Hello again! Here is the third chapter of Properly Humbled :) I was once again very flattered and humbled by everyone's reviews, they were very helpful and kind! Thank you, also, for following and favoriting this story :)
Thanks to the anonymous reviewers: Trini (I don't mind that you write in Spanish, it's good practice I guess :) I'm glad you find the story entertaining, as for Anne, you shall have to wait and see), Queenofthetower (haha, thank you, I'm glad I managed that :)), as you can see, I've updated pretty fast), Daniella (thank you! I'm happy to hear that), Guest (thanks! you don't have to wait anymore:) ).
Oh, and of course, extra points to the people who spot all the lines that have been given to Elizabeth, instead of Darcy, and vice versa :)
Anyway, please enjoy and share your thoughts!
- 3 -
Some days after the gathering at Sir William, Mr. Bennet happened to remark how quiet and peaceful the house was.
"I can read and hear my own thoughts, for a change. It's a miracle."
"Kitty and Lydia are gone to visit Aunt Philips again," was the answer he received when he inquired into the cause of his good luck.
"They have been making a great deal of visits. I hope your aunt can stomach so many officers at once."
"My sister is doing more for the girls than you are, Mr. Bennet! If one of those officers wishes to marry my girls, I won't stand in his way!"
"Yes, Mrs. Bennet, you would marry them yourself if you could," he replied jovially.
"Oh, Mr. Bennet! What nonsense! Although, when I was at Jane's age I confess I sighed a great deal after one red coat or another."
Jane and Elizabeth were amused by their parents' antics, but were much less excited by the prospect of going into Meryton to see the regiment. They sometimes had to accompany their impatient sisters, but were otherwise wont to stay at home. Elizabeth, of the two, was more wary of running into officers.
"I did not see him at Sir William's, Lizzy. I don't believe Wickham has been present at any social event, actually. Chances are he did not come with the regiment at all," Jane assured her.
"Yes, you might be right, Jane. It has all gone quite well, so far, but I dread the possibility of running into him again," she confessed.
With all the commotion and novelty of Mr. Bingley and his disagreeable friend, Mr. Darcy, she had not had time to worry about George Wickham.
"I don't think he would be so hard of feeling as to return to Hertfordshire."
"I do. The only thing that prevents him is cowardice, not nobility of sentiment," Elizabeth decreed sternly.
"Oh, Lizzy. You must forgive and forget."
"I have forgiven much, but forgetting is a different matter. My temper is too little yielding. I cannot forget the follies of others as soon as I ought. I suppose my temper is of a resentful nature."
"I don't believe that. You don't believe it either, Lizzy."
Elizabeth did not argue with Jane, because she knew her sister liked to see the goodness in everyone, but she did not think she had been too severe on her own character. Unlike her younger sister, Mary, who sentenced everyone to sin whether they were guilty or not, she was neither too exacting nor too lax. She believed she was fortunate enough that she could look into her soul and render its shortcomings without fail. George Wickham was just one of those shortcomings.
The frequent departures of Lydia and Kitty into Meryton caught Mr. Bennet in a favourable mood more than once and, on one such occasion, seeing as his wife was once again bemoaning the fate of her girls, he decided to go see Mr. Bingley behind her back. It would both vex and please her, and he liked to do both at the same time, if he could manage it.
She had been complaining that Lizzy had failed to make a better impression at Sir William's and that Mr. Darcy was still severely displeased with her.
"I am quite certain he will persuade Mr. Bingley to quit my poor Jane. How do you explain that he has not called upon us at all and that his sister has yet to ask Jane to dine with them?"
So it came to be that one morning, Mr. Bennet told his wife he was going to settle some affairs with Mr. Philips in town, but in fact rode to Netherfield Park. He returned quite late from his visit by Hertfordshire standards. He was slightly red in the cheeks from the exercise and a little exerted.
"Mr. Bennet, I have been going quite mad in your absence, we thought your horse had sprained an ankle!" Mrs. Bennet received him anxiously.
"No, Mrs. Bennet, better luck next time. I'm afraid I was detained by Mr. Bingley, for he insisted that we should survey his grounds on horse and I must admit I had wrongly judged the size of Netherfield Park."
Mrs. Bennet was nearly apoplectic after hearing such a straightforward response. She had to be held by Mrs. Hill while she followed Mr. Bennet around the house.
"But how –! Why did you not tell me? Oh, how you torture me with your silence! Tell me at once what you told him about Jane!"
"I doubt you will want my account, when the man is expected to dine with us in three days' time. You will hear everything directly from the source."
"Dine with us! Three days! Oh, Mrs. Hill! Mrs. Hill I cannot bear it!"
She started breathing heavily and required the use of salts to settle her nerves, but in half an hour she was back on her feet and was busying herself around the house. She was already fussing over the preparations for the "dinner party".
"Oh, girls, girls! Your father is so wonderful and clever! You must thank him for taking such good care of you! He has caught Mr. Bingley in his net now and he shall come to Jane whether his friend wants to or not!"
Jane was a little embarrassed by her mother's excitement, but thoroughly pleased that Mr. Bingley would pay them a visit. She confessed to Elizabeth that she was inordinately happy and that she was afraid she was growing attached too quickly.
"It's true there is little beauty or breeding in his sisters and friends, but Mr. Bingley is nothing like them and, therefore, worth every romantic thought."
"You are quite censorious, Lizzy. Do you think he'll come alone?"
"Oh, most certainly. Do you really think Mr. Darcy would like to visit Longbourn?"
The two girls laughed at the prospect.
Although Mrs. Bennet laboured over the expected event every minute and every hour of the remaining time, on the eve of Mr. Bingley's visit, she was still displeased with an insignificant detail or another. She criticized the silverware, wondering if it would be good enough for Mr. Bingley, she fretted over Jane's dress because it was too simple, and she felt anxious about the window curtains in the dining room because their colour was too drab and "Mr. Bingley will think we are in mourning".
The only thing that seemed to be giving her satisfaction was the weather.
"Do you see that, girls? The sky is so cloudy and fat with rain that it will surely pour!"
"I don't see how that will make the curtains less "drab", Mamma," Elizabeth replied.
"Silly child! Don't you see? Mr. Bingley will come on horse. I am certain of it. If he kept your father riding all day long, it means he is not fond of carriages. And then, he can't ride back in a storm! He will have to spend the night!"
"Your machinations are positively Machiavellian, my dear," Mr. Bennet replied, darting his head from his newspaper.
"Wait and see if I'm not right."
Not much later, a downpour started and the entire household had to give credit to Mrs. Bennet's oracular powers. When the bell was rung and Mr. Bingley's horse was taken away, he appeared at the doorway quite drenched and miserable.
"I'm afraid it caught me on the road and I could either turn back or keep riding. I chose the latter," he informed the family as he entered the parlour and took off his soaked hat.
"Please, do sit by the fire and warm yourself, Mr. Bingley," Mrs. Bennet encouraged, giving Mr. Bennet a sly smile.
The five sisters all felt out of place watching the otherwise jovial Mr. Bingley sit down morosely by the fire, shivering in his own clothes. Jane and Elizabeth were particularly mortified that their mother had been right. But soon, the awkwardness dissipated as tea was brought in and Mr. Bingley started chattering with Mr. Bennet. He stopped from time to time to ask the girls a question, but he mostly looked at Jane whenever he wanted to speak with them. He still shivered somewhat, but he refused to remove his overcoat, as every gentleman in his position would.
Mrs. Bennet sat in her chair by the window and looked gleefully at the dark sky. At this rate, her best made plans would come to fruition.
After half an hour, they removed to the dining room, and halfway through the main course, Mr. Bingley coughed rather alarmingly. Jane asked him if he was all right, and Mr. Bingley smiled across the table, waving his hand.
"I'm only a little too eager to devour this exceptionally fine pudding."
But soon, a second cough followed and when the roast was brought in, he sneezed so hard that he almost dropped his knife.
Elizabeth wondered whether he should not sit by the fire again, but Mr. Bingley stubbornly refused and cheerfully began to talk about giving a Ball at Netherfield Park. It was obvious by the complexion of his face and his dwindling voice that he was not well.
Mrs. Bennet was beginning to think her hopes would be twice rewarded; Mr. Bingley would not only have to spend the night, but perhaps several days!
By the end of dinner, he looked quite weak and ill and, as the rain had not stopped, even Mr. Bennet had to advise not going out into the wet weather again.
Mr. Bingley had enough sense to acknowledge that he could not ride back to Netherfield Park at the present moment, but he had high hopes that in an hour or two, the sky would clear and he would not have to impose himself on the Bennets anymore.
"There is no imposition whatsoever, Mr. Bingley. You may stay as much as you like. My girls certainly don't mind."
Mr. Bingley smiled an apologetic smile at Jane, which she returned shyly, and the two, flanked on one side by Elizabeth and on the other by Mary, began a pleasant conversation in the parlour.
As the hours passed, however, and the weather got only worse, Mr. Bingley began to lose hope of returning home that evening.
At his first nervous remark that "the rain seems to be mistress tonight", Mrs. Bennet quickly jumped to offer the guest bedroom as his for occupation until it was safe once more to leave Longbourn. Mr. Bingley turned quite red at the suggestion, but he could not refuse it at length, because he was feverish and his clothes were damp. He received his approval from Jane, which settled the matter.
"I'm afraid you must stay, Mr. Bingley. We would not want you to catch a cold."
Unfortunately, Mr. Bingley fell ill right away.
And the very next morning, a physician was called, confirming the news that Mr. Bingley was bed-ridden and would need several days to recover.
Mrs. Bennet had to make an effort to hide her smile and appear downcast.
"Oh, what a shame indeed! But we shall take very good care of him!"
She decided that she and Mrs. Hill would be his nurses, but whenever she could, she made excuses and sent Jane with Mrs. Hill instead.
Mary complained that it was highly improper, but she was silenced by Kitty and Lydia, who both wanted their turn to "treat the patient".
Elizabeth asked Jane in private whether she was not a little pleased that Mr. Bingley had remained with them, after all.
Jane turned red and shook her head vehemently. "Lizzy, that is quite ruthless of you to ask, and no, of course I am not pleased, I am very saddened for Mr. Bingley."
But Elizabeth noticed that she was very anxious to help Mrs. Hill and her mother and always left the patient's room with a little smile on her face.
As for her, she was unfortunately tasked with writing to Miss Bingley about her brother's illness. Her father felt confident that he had already done his duty by bringing Mr. Bingley to the house and the rest of the family only had eyes and ears for Mr. Bingley.
She wrote a very polite, but sparse letter about Mr. Bingley's condition, ensuring his sister that he would be taken care of very well. No sooner had she sent the missive, than a stiff and rather impertinent reply came back that it was "quite reckless of my brother to have made the journey" and that "he must be a burden to your family, I'm afraid." It was made clear she was going to visit him on the morrow and that she intended to bring him home by any means possible.
Elizabeth prepared herself for the task of receiving Miss Bingley the next day, for she knew that she would be the least distracted member of the household. She only hoped they would not have to argue long before his sister realized he could not presently be removed from Longbourn.
What she did not prepare for, was three guests, instead of two. She expected the other sister, Mrs. Hurst, to come along with Miss Bingley, but she was quite startled to find Mr. Darcy in their company.
Darcy had not meant to come at all, except that he found he could not refuse Caroline, who was genuinely distraught that her brother was stuck in "an awful country house, among strangers". She and Mrs. Hurst had insisted on his joining them, for they were reluctant to go alone. Mr. Hurst was exempt from this duty only because he was churlish enough to ignore it.
Darcy could not say Longbourn was not an altogether ordinary, pleasant enough house. It obviously lacked many commodities and comforts, but for its size and means, it was quite proper.
They were all received into the parlour by the housekeeper, a Mrs. Hill, and there, more ceremonial greetings were made by Mrs. Bennet and two of her daughters, namely the eldest. Darcy tried his best to look elsewhere, not wanting to meet Elizabeth Bennet's intrusive gaze. She was looking over them as if they were interesting pieces in a museum. Jane Bennet may have smiled too much for his taste, but at least her eyes did not wander curiously, like her sister's.
The master of the house, Mr. Bennet, came in quietly from his study and shook hands with him and bowed half-heartedly to his female companions. He did not seem as obsequious as Mrs. Bennet who was trying very hard to please.
At length, Mrs. Bennet led Caroline and Louisa up the stairs to Bingley's room. Jane followed quietly.
So it was that he was left alone in the parlour with Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth Bennet. The former had little to say to him. They exchanged a few words about the weather and Mr. Bennet made some remark about the grounds at Netherfield Park, but Darcy only shrugged his shoulders and the conversation dwindled quickly. Mr. Bennet soon found refuge behind a newspaper. Miss Bennet was a little flushed, for she could not feign indifference as well as her father. She sat down by one of the desks and began writing a letter.
At length, the silence was perhaps too much for her, for she turned in her seat, and eyeing him for a moment before speaking, she said, "I beg your pardon for not mentioning it before, but I hope your wife is in good health, Mr. Darcy."
The mention of Anne startled him momentarily and even indisposed him. He supposed it was the proper thing to say, given the circumstances, but he found the irony of it almost cruel; his weak and feeble wife was anything but in "good health", yet to say something about it would be revealing an entire history he took pains to hide even from his friends. His voice was a little strained when he replied, "Yes, of course, thank you. She is doing well."
Miss Bennet nodded her head and turned back to writing, as if one pleasantry was enough.
The situation was made even more awkward when some minutes later, Caroline entered the parlour and began to speak.
"I'm afraid my sister requires more time with Charles, but she shall be down promptly. Mr. Bennet, let me thank your wife and daughters for their diligence and good care. Charles seems quite happy with his nurses."
Darcy did not miss the light sarcasm in Caroline's voice, but he only frowned deeply and remained quiet.
"Naturally, we will come by in a day or two with the family physician, for he really must receive another consultation, before we can feel at ease. You understand, of course," Miss Bingley went on, unawares. "We would have liked to bring him back to Netherfield, but we realize now it's quite unmanageable."
Mr. Bennet made a curt reply about it being much better for Bingley to stay put. Miss Bingley smiled frostily, even though she was miffed by the father's lack of genteel manners. She instead turned to the daughter, who was still writing her letter.
"Miss Bennet, to whom are you writing so vehemently?" she inquired, standing over the girl's shoulder with a curious look.
"I am writing to my aunt, Ma'am, to let her know about your brother's condition."
"Mrs. Philips, was it? Very nice woman, indeed. She owns a house in town?"
"Yes, I expect you have made her acquaintance at Sir William's."
"That may be so, but we meet so many people and of so many station, it is hard to distinguish," Caroline replied cheerfully and Darcy felt once again that she was being unduly sarcastic.
"You write uncommonly fast, Miss Bennet," she went on. "Why, your writing is very proper, too. The letter we received from you yesterday was quite well-written."
Miss Bennet seemed to blush slightly but she turned towards Miss Bingley with a polite smile and said, "No, I do write quite slowly, I'm afraid."
"Nonsense. With a little improvement and exercise, you would be at least half as good as Mr. Darcy's sister. And her letters are very accomplished."
Darcy was thoroughly displeased with Caroline's mention of his sister. He knew very well she meant to mock Miss Bennet, but he would rather it were not at Georgiana's expense.
"I did not know Mr. Darcy had a sister."
"Oh, yes, she is a remarkable young woman. My comparison was meant as a compliment, for anyone who resembles Georgiana Darcy in any way is quite remarkable herself."
Darcy looked up sharply. "Perhaps Miss Bennet wishes to finish her letter and we are inconveniencing her."
Elizabeth was surprised to hear Mr. Darcy speak. She was beginning to grow impatient with Miss Bingley's oblique remarks. She was almost grateful to him, until she saw his frowning countenance and remembered he was not one for gratuitous kindness. More likely he wanted to leave faster.
"There is no inconvenience," Elizabeth replied politely. "I don't mind hearing about Miss Darcy and I'm sure she is as accomplished as Miss Bingley describes her."
"More so, Miss Bennet," Miss Bingley continued. "She is much admired by all her acquaintance. Mr. Darcy has reason to be very proud. Charles, too, finds her perfectly charming and he tries to see her as often as possible."
Elizabeth was quick to understand Miss Bingley's words. They spelled out a clear warning that Jane should not attempt to win Mr. Bingley's heart, for it had already been decreed to another of much more elevated rank.
It was at that moment that her father chose to speak, rendering them both silent.
"It is quite a new notion to hear that a young woman may be judged accomplished or not by her pen."
"It is certainly not her only talent, Sir," Miss Bingley replied with grievous condescension, "for Miss Darcy also plays the piano expertly and has a vast knowledge of music, drawing and dancing."
"Then I must concede she is very accomplished," Mr. Bennet replied tongue-in-cheek.
"Yes, I'm afraid I only play tolerably well," Elizabeth quickly added, to placate her father's response.
"Well, I suppose it's not an easy thing," Miss Bingley allowed, "for accomplishment lies not only in skill or education. It is also inherent in the young woman's air, her countenance, her manner of walking." She took a turn about the room to emphasize her point.
"If it is something you are born with and cannot be acquired," Elizabeth argued, "then I'm afraid I know very few accomplished women myself."
"I would doubt, considering these points, whether one such woman truly exists," Mr. Darcy suddenly spoke. He was looking at her and Miss Bingley with a satirical eye.
"That is perhaps being too severe on our sex," Elizabeth replied, feeling a little disconcerted with the way the conversation was progressing. "And you have your sister to prove it."
"I only speak my mind. I would not wish Georgiana to be born a perfect young woman. That would be a frightful thing to behold," Mr. Darcy recanted.
Elizabeth was shocked by the audacity of his words. For a moment, she did not know what to make of him. His reply betrayed sensible judgement and even some democratic tendencies. They both stared at each other for some moments, before Miss Bingley interrupted their silent communication.
"Indeed, perfection is very dull. Oh, but where is Louisa and why does she tardy so much?"
At length, Mrs. Hurst came down the stairs along with Mrs. Bennet and Jane and the two parties were reunited in the parlour.
"We shall return of course very soon with the physician," Miss Bingley kept repeating as they bid their adieus. Mrs. Bennet was all flattery and followed the two sisters to their carriage.
Elizabeth sighed with some relief to watch them go. She hoped that upon their second visit, Mr. Darcy would absent himself.
Perhaps he ought to come, though, for it is more bearable with him than with Miss Bingley, she realized much later when she retired to bed. She was amused to find that she liked Mr. Darcy better, if only by comparison with his friend's sister.